coming up on "early today," it is a story that has everyone talking as outrage grows following gorilla harambe's killing at the cincinnati zoo to save a toddler. mother nature continues with more storms on the way and eight lives lost in just the past few days. a prominent republican promises to reveal a new candidate to take on the gop front-runner. a nasty case of road rage in florida goes terribly wrong and paying a speeding ticket about 22,000 pennies. the splash brothers take game seven and win over the thunder. "early today" starts right now. good morning to you. i'm dara brown. it's a story americans

cannot stop talking about and cincinnati's zoo officials defend their decision to kill an endangered silverback gorilla. we also learn cincinnati police have no plans to file charges against the parents of that boy despite the outcry they be held responsible for the gorilla's death. nbc has the latest. >> reporter: outrage over an incident at the cincinnati zoo when a 3-year-old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure on saturday. for 10 agonizing minutes people watched, including the boy's mother who cried out to him. at one point, the 420-pound male silver back named harambe grabbed the boy's ankle and dragged him through the water. >> i'm here here. >> reporter: zoo officials opened fire, killing the gorilla and rescuing the boy. zookeepers defended their decision. >> naturally, we did not take the shooting of harambe lightly. but that child's life was in danger. >> reporter: on social media, a firestorm. people upset the gorilla killed.

many blame the boy's mother who runs a daycare center. an online petition has 200,000 signatures urging she be charged with negligence. in a facebook post since deleted, the mother defended her self. as a society, we're quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off their child. if anyone knows me, i keep a tight watch on my kid. accidents happen. a subsequent statement thanked the zoo. >> it was just being a gorilla. unfortunately, it paid the ultimate price for something that was not its fault. >> reporter: zoo officials say a tranquilizer would have taken too long and agitated the gorilla more. they are now reviewing how the child was able to get into the enclosure. this file video shows a steel railing with wires below. that railing is followed by four feet of vegetation before a 15-foot drop into a moat where the child fell. harambe heard splashing and jumped in also. a small vigil outside of the zoo where organizers say something is lost in the blame

game. >> in the middle of all this fighting the victim is being forgotten. >> reporter: inside the zoo flowers surround a gorilla statue as the exhibit remains closed. nbc's blake mccoy reporting. the zoo insists the enclosure is safe. they say they haven't had a breach in 30-year history and it's set to open next weekend. at least eight people have died and one is still missing after weather in the great plains. a boy killed working with a church cleanup crew in the texas town of brennan. tree branches were reported falling on him and killed him. in toex rain-swollen rivers continue to rise after a break in the rain. the brazos river near houston is expected to crest later today and a record high more than 53 feet. the heavy flooding also washed out bridges and destroyed homes and more rain is in the forecast the rest of the week. meteorologist bill karins will join us in just a few minutes

with more. world famous theoretical physicist steven hawking says that while he may have a handle on the inner workings, understanding donald trump's rise is something entirely different. in fact, he says he is baffled by it all telling good morning britain, quote, i can't. he is a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator. hawking has made no secret. joking about his intelligence. hillary clinton spent memorial day with her husband marching in a parade of her adopted hometown of chappaqua along with governor cuomo of new york. while bernie sanders spent his day campaigning in california where there was a brief security scare after animal rights protesters jumped over a barricade at an open rally. it was dealt with by the secret service. he thought he had california to himself, but the clinton camp announced a major change in her campaign schedule. she will return to the golden state on early which is earlier than anticipated.

a new poll from the public policy institute shows the two candidates in a statistical dead heat, 46 to 44. clinton leads 53 to 43% in our tracking poll released just this morning. that poll has hillary clinton leading donald trump in a hypothetical general election matchup by two points, 47% clinton, 45% trump. where a matchup between sanders and trump has sanders leading 52% sanders and 40% trump. that could help sanders in his pitch for the nomination. in fact, the majority of the americans say they are against clinton, they either dislike or hate her. for trump, 46% express those negative feelings about him. while a possible third party candidate continue to haunt him on the trail, they are going

through a list of hopeful for the job. nbc hallie jackson has details. >> reporter: donald trump marching toward the general election now looking at a possible new challenger after conservative writer bill kristol hinted at a candidate with a strong team and real chance. trump calling kristol a dummy. can't allow lightweights to set up a spoiler. even after flirting with his own independent bid. i don't want to do the independent thing. i do keep it and it is leverage. he tells nothing is imminent. others with a list for alternative say something could be announced this week. whispers about mitt romney but a source close to him say it remains unlikely he would run. same for leader of the never trump movement. condoleezza rice, house speaker

paul ryan and martinez who skipped trump's rally last week prompting a war of word with the presumptive nominee. even some of trump's former rivals are the subject of speculation but none of them seemed interested in what would be the ultimate long shot candidacy. >> trump has high negatives and there are some people who won't vote for either of them and will be looking for some way to send a message. >> another potential spoiler new libertarian pick gary johnson, the former new mexico governor who received just 1% in 2012 trying to be taken more seriously this cycle. according to a new associated press norc poll the divisive primary season fueled overall sense of pessimism throughout the country. 12% of republican pulse say they believe gop is responsive to ordinary vote errs compared to of democrats who feel the same. 8% have confidence in the gop compared to 15% who have

confidence in the democratic party that numbers drops even more, if you believe it. only 4 per of americans say they have confidence when it comes to congress. now what some are calling one of the best nba playoffs in history. golden state taken on oklahoma city game seven. thunder in charge early but warriors clawed their way back. this at the buzzer. in the second half curry showed why he's the first unanimous mvp, he finished with 37, including seven three-pointers, a win for the warrers. curry set an nba record with threes, faces cleveland in a rematch of last year's final, game one is on thursday. new details about how mexican star managed to break free from hours long kidnapping odiehl. t -- or deal. the gunman was kidnapped near

border plagued by mexican cartels. he escaped kidnappers by punching one guard, snatching a cell phone and calling for help. reports say he beat the kidnapper on the phone until he found out their location. so far one of four kidnappers believe to be involved has been arrested arresteded. three tornadoes were reported in northeastern colorado on monday. this cell phone video captured one of them touching down near a farm in the town of pete. officials say a barn was destroyed and several power poles were knocked down causing widespread outages and fortunately no injuries were reported. a time for look at nbc weather. here is meteorologist bill karins. >> the dust from the road in the bottom of the tornado. >> would not want to see one in person. >> that was a beautiful one. luckily didn't do too much damage. the story how bad will the flooding be in texas and how hot

in the wet. big weather stories, next five days, rainfall totals in texas. a lot of rivers already in moderate to major flood stage. in central texas a possibility of another five inches, isolated areas, seven, eight inches over the next several days. more pictures of flooding in texas and southeast texas. it has been. the other story is the expanding warmth to the west were really going into a summer-like pattern. 89 degrees, 18 above average. then the heat is really going to be building through the inner mountain west. salt lake city 82. vegas 106, phoenix 108. a chance at your first 110 as we go through the end of the week. on friday going to be about 107. that warmth out in the west will be the story of the rest of the

summer. redding 103, even p sacramento with 103. nothing like jumping into summer, right? >> exactly. like it's almost july. >> the pools are going to be too warm soon. >> bill karins, thank you so much for that. well, meet three women who managed to stop an alleged date rape at just the right time. plus runner up following nasty case of road rage during memorial day ride. you're watching "early today." you're watching "early today." in a motor vehicle. sir, can you hear me? two, three. just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! [ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck. [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere,

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welcome back. a major offensive against isis continues this morning. iraqi forces backed by u.s. military aircraft launched an operation yesterday to storm fallujah. the city is one of the last isis strongholds in iraq. about 50,000 civilians remain inside that city and are at risk of being turned into human shields. police in florida are investigating a shocking case of

road rage. a verbal altercation leads to this, a car on top of a motorcycle with two people on it. so far there are no reports of injuries. police say one person has been arrested. a man in texas found a unique way to pay off his $220 speeding ticket with 22,000 pennies. he said it was his way to protest the fine for driving 9 miles per hour over the speed limit. it took the office about three hours to count his coins. he actually overpaid. he's owed $7.81. now to a story millions are talking about across the world. three women out for fun in california when they spotted a man they believe was up to no good. rather than sitting idly nearby they took action and are being hailed for stopping a sexual assault attempt. a hero story grabbing headlines all over the world all

talking about three women in san monday, california, who stopped a woman from being drugged. >> i said i just saw him put something in her drink. >> they were sitting near a couple who looked like they were on first day date. >> i said we need to get that drink off the table. >> i said that guy put something in your drink. she said, oh, my god, he's one of my best friends. >> back at the table the women told restaurant staff to began to style to prevent 22-year-old michael shoo from getting away. security watched footage and called santa monica police. >> reporter: charged with attempt to commit rape, bond $1 million. attempts to reach his lawyer unsuccessful. police still waiting for results of chemical testing. >> all i know, we had so say

something. >> reporter: after the arrest, many thanked the friends hoping their story will encourage others to act if they see someone in danger. nbc news, los angeles. just ahead, stanley cup finals off to a very exciting start. plus a story that goes well beyond balls an strikes. that's up next. an strikes. that's up next. maria really loves the newest scent from gain. ♪ upbeat music plays everytime she sniffs... this happens. still there... still still there... well that's how you rock a long travel day. new scent duets from gain it's the gain the keeps on keeping on. sniff, sniff, hooray! goohello new coppertone sport. it's reformulated to feel lighter on your skin, but still protects and stays on strong. new coppertone sport. hello sunshine.

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by and use by date on foods. we will tell you what is being done to protect you while wasting less food. let's head to betty lynguyen fo sports headlines. good morning, betty. the pittsburgh penguins hosting the san jose sharks. late in the third period game tied at 2 all. pittsburgh fans gave the hometown fans exactly what they came for. >> another to the front, blocked off by jones. >> that proved to be the difference. the penguins take game one with a 3-2 win. game two is wednesday at 8:00 p.m. on nbc. talk about a gentleman. during his round on saturday at the colonial, pga player tony finau hit a drive that struck alisa butler in the head. as you can see, she was bloodied and required stitches. instead of signing a ball for her, he showed up at her door with flowers and a box of

chocolates and get well card. he wanted to make sure butler and her family knew he cared. this is just fantastic. a woman came to the cleveland indians game saying her chemotherapy starts tomorrow and all she wanted was a hug and homer from mike napoli. well, before the game, she got that hug. later in the sixth, napoli crushed one deep to left. it did little to help his team but it definitely did a lot for one lucky lady. of course, we wish her the best. dara, i'll send it back to you. >> betty, thanks so much. just ahead snoop dogg is fuming mad about the remake of "roots." john snow is setting new trends in men's hair. you're watching "early today." u" of course you go all out for date night... ♪ ...even if you're just staying in.

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or are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. learn more about the most prescribed pill for relapsing ms in the us, at tecfidera.com. talk to your doctor about tecfidera, and take another look at relapsing ms. now to entertainment news. dan aykroyd is coming to the defense of a new ghost-busters movie amid backlash over the dominant female cast. while initially aykroyd may have been leaning toward a conventional third sequel he's now giving it the highest of praise. he posted to facebook. as originator of the original, saw test screening of the new movie apart from brilliant genuine performances from the cast female and male, more scares. second highest rated series finale of all time, miniseries

premiered last night on history channel. however, snoop dogg became an outspoken critic, he took to instagram to call for boycott of the show. >> i don't understand america. they want to keep showing the abuse we took hundreds and hundreds of years ago. guess what, we taking the same abuse. >> he added focus should be on the successes of the african-american community instead. kate hudson with her mom goldie hawn with amy schumer instagrammed a video of the day. it racked up nearly 500,000 views. is john snow starting a new hair trend. the wavy locks could be the next big look. this is "early today." g look. this is "early today." oh, look... ...another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair works...

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leading the news in "the washington post" a dead baby becomes the latest heartbreaking symbol of the mediterranean refugee crisis. the german rescuer, a father himself, said he began singing to comfort the baby. the baby had been on a boat with dozens of other migrants. that boat ended up sinking, killing 45. last week, more than 700 migrants died trying to reach europe. in case you missed it over the holiday weekend from "the san francisco chronicle" baby abandoned at sf state one of its grads. baby jillian was born in a san francisco state laundry room and left there and was adopted. she is now a proud graduate from the school where she was born. outbreak of measles in central arizona has risen to 11 confirmed cases.

the illness has spread within a alloy detention center for immigrants with seven inmates and four workers infected. other surrounding counties may have been exposed. north korea attempt to launch a ballistic missile on monday failed according to south korean military. surrounding countries were on a alert, including japan, which ordered anti-ballistic missiles to stand ready. tensions high in the region after north korea conducted a series of missile tests and failed launches earlier this year. a baby elephant was rescued by a team of good samaritans. the elephant had fallen down a drain in sri lanka. a cheese contest yesterday. competitors hurled down a

600 foot slope to be the first to reach an 800 pound wheel of cheese. organizers canceled the event over safety concerns but diehard enthusiasts held the race. >> look at the crowd. >> this year local chris anderson secured his 17th victory. all for a wheel of cheese. >> a bigger life version -- remember when you were a kid and rolled down the side of the hill. >> you do that sideways, not trait down. a little scary going straight down. let's look ahead. president obama will welcome the ncaa champions villanova men's basketball team to the white house. the wildcats won with a dramatic three-point buzzer beater to defeat the university of north carolina in april. happy birthday to "true detective" star colin ferrell who is 40. brooke shields is 51 and leah thompson is 55. hollywood legend clint eastwood is 86 today. keep it here for news, weather and sports. and sports. i'm dara brown with

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==laura//con't vo== morning... it was electricinsi warriors take the thunder out of o-k-c to win their second trip to the n-b-a finals. we've got all the highlights and warrior fangs fans riding high this morning. win their second trip to the nba finals. all the highlights and celebration. it's happened again. another law enforcement gun stolen in san francisco. students return to novato high school the first time since the deadly attack on two students. "today in the bay" starts right now. a very good tuesday morning. laura and the boys. >> a lot of testosterone going on up here. >> i don't